Police are searching for a man and a woman accused of posing as roofers and defrauding homeowners in the city’s east end.
According to police, the incidents occurred between March and August of this year.
Police say on five separate occasions, a man and a woman, posing as roofers, showed up on the doorstep of homes in the city’s east end and informed the resident that their roof needed to be repaired.
The homes targeted in the scam were in the neighbourhoods of Danforth Village, East York and Woodbine Gardens.
On a few occasions, investigators say, the couple negotiated a sum of money in exchange for their services and took the cash without completing the work.
In one case, police say a woman paid the couple $350 in cash to complete repairs to her roof and when they finished, the couple advised the woman that she had overpaid. When they produced a debit machine to refund back some of the money, the woman placed her debit card into the machine and entered her pin.
Police say that is when the couple ran off with the woman’s card and took $800 from her account.
On a couple of occasions, residents suspected it was a scam and did not hand over any cash.
Police have not yet provided a detailed description of the suspects.
The Toronto Police Service says homeowners need to be cautious with people who try to solicit business door-to-door.
“The public is reminded that, in commercial transactions, they should always verify the identity of a person or business before deciding to trust that person or business,” a news release issued by Toronto police read.
Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call police at 416-808-5500 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
